Starlight Rum Finished

Availability: Limited release, 250 bottles

Distillery: Starlight

Finish: Rum barrel

Proof: 121.2

Age: 4.5 years

Price: $74

Introduction

I’m a little late to the game on this one, but I wanted to do a non-neck pour review. This is a rum finished version of Carl T. Huber’s single barrel bourbon, distilled by Indiana’s Starlight Distillery and picked by Tilted Bottle and The Den.

Nose

The rum barrel is really prominent here. Molasses, sweet rubber, tropical fruit smoothie. There’s also some corn/grain sweetness and vanilla from the bourbon. And as it opens up, a cinnamon/brown sugar/butter medley appears, like cookies fresh out of the oven.

Palate

Very sweet, but a tad hot. The cinnamon/brown sugar cookie notes are brighter now. There’s also rummy notes, like pineapple, allspice, nutmeg, white sugar, vanilla, and a hint of banana.

Finish

Once again, this is fresh, soft-baked cinnamon cookies, along with notes akin to a gold/lightly aged rum: sweet vanilla, white sugar, tropical fruit, honey, toasted caramel, and in the background, a little grassy graininess.

Overall - 6.5

The nose is delicious! But it needs some time to open up in the glass. I’m curious how this bottle will change with time. The taste is also great, but just a bit hot for my preferences. If I had a higher heat tolerance, this would easily be a 7+.

I added a bit of water and it toned down the heat, but kept the flavors. The youthfulness comes out a bit more, though. But the complexity of the rum finish is still shocking! Well done to the pick team!